Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, is urging Jamaicans and policymakers to take decisive action to address the country’s mental health crisis, warning that the issue is central to life, dignity and national development.

In a statement on Friday marking World Mental Health Day, Dr Dawes stressed that too many Jamaicans are suffering in silence while mental health services remain severely underfunded and understaffed.

“Behind every statistic is a face, a family and a future that can be transformed or tragically cut short depending on how we respond,” he said. “Too many of our brothers and sisters are suffering in silence, ashamed, overlooked or dismissed, while depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health challenges erode lives across every community and social class.”

Dawes criticised the longstanding neglect of mental health in the public health system, noting that stigma continues to prevent many people from seeking help. He cited instances where individuals experiencing mental health challenges are dismissed or penalised rather than supported.

“When a young person battling depression is told to ‘shake it off’, when an employee in crisis is penalised instead of supported, when a community member struggling with schizophrenia is abandoned on our streets, then we as a society have failed in our responsibility to care,” he said.

This year’s World Mental Health Day, which is being celebrated under the theme “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies”, is especially relevant for Jamaica, according to Dawes. He pointed to the psychological impact of violent crime, economic hardship and natural disasters, which he said have compounded the mental health burden across the nation.

“If ever there was a time to ensure access to mental health care as an essential right, it is now,” he declared.

Dr Dawes is calling for a shift in the country’s approach to mental health.

“Mental health must be integrated into primary care, adequately funded in our health budget and prioritised in every policy conversation about our future,” he said.

He also urged citizens to support one another and to speak openly about mental health, emphasising that seeking help should be viewed as an act of courage.

“On this World Mental Health Day, I call on every Jamaican to look out for one another, to speak openly about mental health and to demand better from those entrusted with our well-being. For without mental health, there is no true health,” Dawes said.